Will there be pictures... cuz, maybe I want a second copy.

::swoon::

I'll even autograph a copy, if you like...

have you ever considered autographing body parts? I wouldn't want to change the pristine nature of the published article. My body, however...

I beat a good fencer tonight... I'm starting to figure this out. and he was tired

jewels or electronics?

antiques

Background: at the last Budget Council we (the Labour group) managed to force a change in the budget to allow two community/youth centres to stay open which had been pegged for closure as a budget cut. Full Council voted on that budget which means full council have decided that the community centres should be kept open.

Three weeks later the Council officers closed one of the centres to youth provision on Health and Safety grounds (convenient no? Especially given that there's a large plot of council land adjoining it that they want to sell to a developer).

Since the centre is in the ward I represent I have been heavily involved with it. Adults can still use it for the moment (though without the youth provision it will be underused and get sold on soon) so my ward colleague and I met with the residents who use it yesterday.

Tonight was Children and Young Persons Scrutiny Panel (which scrutinises the operations and strategy of the CYP Directorate on the council) and we put a call-in of the issue on the agenda.

Oh man, it was great! Six residents turned up and sat in the public seats through the meeting, so they were there to hear us batting for them. Because I sit on that panel, I spoke both as their ward councillor and as a scrutiny member (not a conflict of interest unless it's quasijudicial which scrutiny isn't). If I do say so myself, I was good! I argued well and asked the right questions of the officers. I had all the facts and figures at my fingertip and was able to make a case (with my colleague) for questioning the H&S report's findings. I was also able to make a good case for the potential damage that the removal of youth services from the centre of the estate may have on the relationship between the estate kids and the estate adults (if they are no longer interacting positively with them on a regular basis through the centre).

Got unanimous support from the other panel members (cross-party) to submit a recommendation to Cabinet that it commission an independant survey of the building and if costs can be brought down do the minimum repairs necessary to get the centre open in the short term; in addition that the council should engage in a full consultation with the estate community as part of the decision making process on the centre's future.

*grins* I'm hyper now. It was a difficult debate, with that single agenda item taking up the first hour of the meeting and the officers were pushing their own agenda (I am convinced they've been deliberately not maintaining it until they can justify offloading it on the grounds of it not being economical to repair an barely used building.

The residents were delighted at the discussion and were really happy with the way my colleague and I represented them. It's only a first step and the Cabinet are under no obligation to act on our recommendation, but it would be politically uncomfortable for them to do so. Likely they'll get it open for a few months, start consulting and then close it again stating that further repairs are necessary and overbudget. But, at least we won this little fight and I got to strut my stuff as a proper Councillor in front of my peeps.

Quick word of explanation regarding above post:

When something is called in to scrutiny by an elected member the officers who are responsible for that matter have to attend scrutiny and present a report responding to the Call-in questions. They then answer any questions panel members put to them. These people are senior officers (many of them directors and senior managers) and therefore have a degree of expertise in their fields that the elected members generally don't share: consequently there is a tendency for them to view us as a bit of a nuisance getting in the way of their shiny plans and strategies. If the strategies fail of course they keep their job whilst we get voted out of office:P

It's difficult to get underneath the reports sometimes. It's amazing how much someone can say without really giving any useful details. It's also amazing how the different internal systems can create a catch 22 situation when it's convenient.

My work assignment was triple booked so I got bumped. I would be upset about this if not for this rotten cold. It's actually quite nice to have another half day off. :)

I've seen your picture. I'd like to bump you, if it weren't for all that snot and stuff... :rolleyes:

What's making me happy? See what's making me unhappy thread. It was a twofer.

I learned Zippy's secret to happiness today, and I'm going to get to meet my first Cellar dwellar tomorrow. Yeah!! The sun even shines on a rat's ass once in awhile.

This coming Monday: My first time rowing. It'll be in a four or an eight. My girlfriend's dad is a coach, and their entire family is row-happy. I'm pumped to give it a try.

This coming Wednesday: A concert.

The Monday after next I'll be on my way to school. Everything is basically ready to go, just waiting for a fat check from SallieMae.

My husband just escaped his job to bring me flowers at work! Awesome! Now my office smells like lilly's.

But what does Lilly's office smell like?

Most wives would be angry if their husband gave them something that smelled like another woman's orifice.

So true.

Friday Night Football - here's two pics - before & after

awww - 2yrs old
Attachment 14453

now - 16 yrs - 6'5" - 288lbs
Attachment 14454

I'm happy because I left my company one week ago today and launched a new corporation. My one month goal was to have 40% of my clients move. So far 15% have. Woohoo!

My friend's visit and my fiancee's visit aren't going to overlap! Maybe for a few hours. Not that I don't want them to meet, but it's been assured that no sex will be had if both parties are in the house at the same time... so I'm pleased as peaches. :D

Congratulations, lookout123. You made the leap!

Way to go, lookout! I'm glad it's working out for you.

Good goin Lookout!

Death.


I strongly associate the fragrance of lillies with funerals. One of my first jobs was driving the delivery van for a local florist. Very happy job, everybody likes to get flowers. Even the dead people, and they got lots of lillies.

The smell of flowers reminds me of death, also. A houseful of freshly-delivered flowers.

Not all floral fragrances remind me of death. Honeysuckle covered the fences around the school in my youth, and although I had my share of student angst, the honeysuckle remains a pleasant memory.

Roses are strictly romantic for me. Roses for my wife make me smile.

We had a big saucer magnolia in the backyard. Those blossoms stink.

Jasmine reminds me of the senior prom, a pleasant memory.

Honeysuckle might be one of the absolute best fragrances.

Finally got my last Praxis score along with a little bullshit certificate of excellence blah blah blah should be happy but actually just feel tired. Maybe this is the wrong thread.

who did you meet?

You mean instead of listening to professors, now you are one?

Me! Had lunch with LR today on the Plaza at an Irish (simulated) pub.

She is as wonderful as I'd always known she would be. Maybe moreso.

We really need to put together a national get together. Really.

I've never seen a 2 year old with a mullet before...

Nah, just one more thing in place for certification.

Dang, he beat me to it.

Els is great, just like I thought he would be. And a great hugger :)

I only wish we'd had more time to chat. I heartily second a national gathering. Here, in the midwest. I mean in all fairness, it IS centrally located, at least for those of us in the US. Frankly, KC would be a great place to do it. But in the late fall or early spring, when it's not a frigging sauna.



Oh, and congrats to Lookout, the hadest part is over, now it's all about the mon-ay. Good luck!

I think a UK gathering would be cool, too.

Just got my new lens today via FedEx... Nikkor 24-120mm 3.5-5.6 VR

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0302/nikon24120vr-big.jpg

Can't wait to get out and start shooting with this.

Also, an amazing air show is coming up soon: http://www.gml2007.com/

I'm still hyped about my great day yesterday and my happy week:)

New meds have worked and by Tuesday I was feeling myself again and able to get loads of work done during the week. Had a few minor triumphs that just totally make the job worthwhile.

Like I had two similar cases of elderly ladies living alone and with mobility issues. Both have been trying to get assistance to alter their bathrooms, as getting in and out of the bath is a major issue. One's been waiting for two years and one for six months. except when I looked into it, the one who;d been waiting for two years hadn;t actually been put on a waitinglist: she'd misunderstood (she's a little confused) a letter sent by her Housing Assoc. telling her that her property was on a 2 year waiting list for refurbishment (i.e new bathroom) and thought that meant she was on the Social Services waiting list (very confusing).

I got a email from the director of Social services on Thursday teling me that both women have been registered for an assessment visit, but that they faced potential waits of up to 26 weeks. Given the length of time involved he has arranged for an interrim assessment and assistance whilst they wait for the full assessment. So whilst the full assessment may show that they need to be provided with a low bath or walk in shower, in the meantime they will have access to some kind of homehelp, probably once a week to help them in and out of the bath. The lady who had been confused about waiting lists is over the moon. She's been having to bath only once every three weeks or so when her daughter was able to come and help.

Another lady who has been waiting for over four years for the refurbishment she'd been promised by the housing association and whose case I recently took up, phoned me on Thursday to tell me she'd received notification of a start date for the work. She was ever so pleased.

yesterday wrapped the week up nicely. I had to speak at a rally protesting the proposed closures and mergers of over half the Remploy factories. I was amongst several speakers and was there to deliver a message of support from the MP for our town as she's out of the country. Wow. What a buzz. The adrenaline rush was incredible. I don't do much public speaking, I tend to be fairly low key as a Councillor, only really speaking publically in smaller meetings. This was about 100 people with trade unionists and MPs speaking. very nerve wracking, but if I say so myself I think I did rather well:) The crowd seemed to like it. More frighteneing was doing the off the cuff radio interview just before the rally.

So...today i am buzzed up like a very buzzy thing. The adrenaline rush yesterday was incredible. I was terrified as we went off on the Remploy campaign bus, up to the Barnsley factory, but I just seemed to find a really calm place just before I took the mike.

Have rewarded myself for such a good week by totally chilling today. God I feel great!

Oh can I also add that I just spent a very enjoyable 92 minutes watching the England Team make mincemeat of the Israeli side. 3-0 and the England side looked good on the pitch. Even with a few key players missing they looked really solid. Lot of good team play and accurate passing rather than the more usual England showboating and individualism on the pitch. This also makes me happy:)

Bullitt - That lens would be great on my D70. Can I borrow it?

I'm currently using an 18-70 1:3.5-4.5.

I was going to say. "Do I have to be happy today?" then I saw that lenz,
Wowza...I'm happy FOR you HLJ.

Actually it's Bullitt's lens. I'm just coveting it.

I just came back from an overnight solo backpacking/camping trip. Everything worked (except for the backpack), it rained for a while but I stayed mostly dry, and it was altogether enjoyable.

I'm already planning the next trip.

I've been using the kit 18-55 lens and a couple old (10+ years) lenses up until now. I have high hopes for this thing being my main walk-around lens, esp. with the VR. If you are looking to get one make sure you aren't getting one of the soft ones. From what I've read, a select amount of these produced (they are out of production now) are somewhat soft, not producing the tack sharp pictures that they ought to. Mine is not one of these. A good rule of thumb when buying a used lens is to ask for new sample photos taken with the lens for sale under various lighting conditions. May seem a bit over the top, but when you spend a good chunk of your summer earnings on something like this, you want to be damn sure you're getting what you pay for.

What kind of camera? (Nikon digital, I'd guess, but which model?)

D50, my first DSLR and I'm absolutely loving it. Worked my way up from a very simple Canon A400 point and shoot, to a Canon A620, to a Panasonic FZ7, and now this beast. It's fairly heavy, even more so with this lens on it. But it's great for someone like me with fairly large and strong hands.

Also: my two new shirts
http://www.threadless.com/product/38...ommunist_Party
http://www.threadless.com/product/46...plaining_To_Do

Ok I want the photos of Dana speaking at a rally. Ha ha where's the news link Dana? Cough it up....it's not nice to not share with your fellow cellarites...

And the link to the radio interview?

Did I mention something about the lack of sugar in my diet? Well, not today, apparently:

http://caseoriginalart.com/images/ot...amcherries.jpg

case - I think you've been influenced by Razz's commute picture.

Inspired! Now I want to take a picture of everything!

*chuckles* alas I haven't any decent photos of it. I am not sure who the reporters were at Barnsley, I don't know what papers serve their area as it's a different part of Yorkshire.
I do have a really crappy little shot of the Halifax workers and staff (and me) holding up banners outside the Halifax factory after our return from Barnsley. It's from my local paper, but it only mentions 'councillors' being present to offer support rather than mentioning me by name.

I'm the chick at the back in a short-sleeved brown blouse. We're all looking really cross because the photographer thought we really ought to be looking upset...prior to that everyone was smiling:P

http://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/loca...emo.3187518.jp

Somebody turned in some coins to the bank today...
Lowe's got some change from the bank...
A cashier needed change...
I walked in at the exact right moment...

How cool are these!?
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...DSCF1369-2.jpg
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...DSCF1374-2.jpg
The oldest one is 1918 and the newest is 1945. $2.80 worth, I let some of the other girls buy some out of the drawer too, I'm not greedy. :D

That's cool. When I worked the register at a corner store years ago, some teenager came in to spend his coin collection. I asked him three times if he really wanted to do it, and he kinda shrugged his shoulders and say yes each time. I got two rolls of wheat back pennies and a couple steel pennies. And a bunch of old dimes. Pretty cool when that happens.

Sure it was his collection? :P

Yeah, but realistically, they're not worth more than their face value. How long can you hold onto collections like that before they're not interesting to you anymore? Case in point, what did you do with the coins, glatt?

Look there's Dana!!! Dana makin' me proud..... Was that just one day or are you going back on the tour? I bet there were 10 times more people than that photo would indicate too. Seems to be a bad habit amongst journalists.

I used to wear a mask..... Then just sunglasses and a smile. Nothing makes me happier than going to B***'* house to bitch. Hard not to smile...I was caught on film in a stupid sun-hat, sunglasses, and a shit-eating grin.
:)

They are in a little jewelry box thing on my dresser. The wheat back pennies are nothing special, but I also got some half dollars, I think, that were old and all silver. But yeah, they have no real value. Every once in awhile I'll get them out and look at them.

Just out of curiosity, I Googled the value of wheat back pennies. According to this link, an all copper penny (they were copper if they were minted before 1982) has three cents worth of copper in it, so they are rapidly disappearing as people melt them down for the metal. So if I sort through my pennies and melt down the copper and sell it to a metal dealer, I'll get three cents a penny.

A wheat back penny is worth 3.5 cents minimum if sold to a coin dealer. Rare ones can be worth hundreds of dollars.

A little after the time, but I lost one of my cats on Saturday, but got him back on Monday.

I've been taking them out on walks for the last 6 weeks, to prepare them for when my housemate came back and got them chipped. He wants them to be indoor/ outdoor cats and as he's taken all three of us on I can't really argue.

On Saturday there was an altercation between Diz and Trifle (HM's cat) in the doorway. While I was sorting that out Dylan decided to head right - towards the main road. I've never taken them in that direction and before I could catch him he was under a gate and into a locked yard full of grass, equipment and other catly delights. So I ran back in and got some food, then spent the next 30 mins lying on the floor, looking under the gate and making enticing cat noises. A neighbour got me access to the yard about an hour later, but he wasn't in there. So I spent the next 20 hours or so searching the streets, calling, calling, calling.

My HM got home mid-afternoon Sunday and by a lucky chance bumped into a boy who asked him if he was looking for a cat. His family took a cat in on Saturday night as they recognised him as a breed and figured he wasn't supposed to be out. They even got a friend to take their dog for the night so he wouldn't be scared. On Sunday they took him to a vet - who we were able to email and who called us Monday morning to confirm receipt.

HM picked him up while I was in counselling, apparently he'd been having a rare old time with everyone making a fuss of him and nicknaming him Posh.

Tomorrow we go to the vet. Diz & Dylan both get chipped and get collars. I'm not a fan of collars on cats as they leave an ugly mark and can be a choking risk, but Dylan is too friendly for his own good. He was lucky to be looked after as well as he was - people need to know he's a loved cat and not a runaway if it happens again.

It's awful when they disappear like that, isn't it? At least you know where Dylan's been - mine occasionally go walkabout and I have no idea why or where to ...

My Madison got out of my ex'es house and hasn't been seen in about a month. :(